Swedish Fish

Gyda shook her head, “then we handle it. The best legal way we know how, because I’m not afraid to fight that man toe to toe.” She shrugged, “the sad part is he wouldn’t be afraid to fight back.” Her brows rose and she thought on it for a minute shrugging. “Honestly, that’s not a bad idea if he does come around. Getting him to fight me. He throws the first punch and he’s got assault charges, mine is self defense. I’d just hate to put the kids and Tereik through it.”

-

Astrid couldn’t help but laugh. “I know you aren’t Gyda. That’s one of the many reasons I love you.” She nodded her head slowly before looking up towards the other. “Absolutely not Gyda. I will not have you purposefully getting into a fight with him.” She said as she frowned. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened.” She sighed as she looked out the window. “I wish I never got involved with him....”

“You’re also lucky she didn’t just move you in herself without you even saying anything.” He smirked knowing his little sister too well. “I’ve never known Gyda to not get her way.” His brows raised and he smiled, “I try my best. I’m not activist like Gyda but being a doctor means something in this family. Well, professor now, but you know.”

-

Astrid couldn’t help but laugh, shaking her head some. “She probably would have tried but I’m actually living with Declan at the moment.” She said as she looked to Viggo, the cousin that always felt like her sibling, as did the rest of her cousins. “Oh I know it does. You should have seen the look on my mother’s face when I told her I wasn’t going to be a nurse.”

Declan’s brows pulled together in concern and he looked at Stella and shook his head, “it’s him isn’t it?” He sighed and shook his head, “you don’t have to tell me but we gotta do something to make sure you both are safe. Legally. He technically has rights to her.” He sighed and shook his head not sure of how to handle everything but knowing they would get through it together. “You’re gonna stay here, alright? Move in with me.. that way I can keep a better eye on you two.”

-

Astrid nodded her head slowly as she followed his gaze towards Stella. “It is him.” She said and leaned her head against his shoulder. “I do have to tell you though, I owe you that much.” She sighed softly before explaining everything that Erik had put her through and exactly how she got each scar. “I left while he was at work, fled Sweden with Stella. I couldn’t have him touching her too.” She said as she sat up and looked at Declan. “Not for long, if I can help it. I’m going to court. I’m going to find a way to become a U.S. citizen with Stella and I am going to file for sole custody and take his rights away. But that means he  will know where I am and he will come.” She looked at him and swallowed. “I don’t want you to get hurt Declan. I can’t ask that of you.”

Astrid had left Stella at home with Declan while she had to run out to do some errands and mail off the finally copies of her last illustrations to the editor for final approval. She decided to get some lunch while she was out, the twins growing in her belly nicely as the time had gone on. She smiled as she placed a hand on her growing bump as she pondered where her life had ended up. She found herself a little cafe spot and ordered herself a croissant and some hot chocolate, trying to avoid caffeine. She decided to sit outside since it was a nice day out and she found herself at a small table outside the big window. Things were feeling good until she got a weird feeling in her gut. She decided to leave and she pushed herself up off the chair and towards her car. She was passing an alleyway when she felt a familiar grip on her arm. “Astrid, I found you.”

~time skip~

~

Declan smiled and gave a quick not, “well you won’t be alone. I may not have any kids but I think I can handle three at once.” He laughed but knew they would figure it out and he’d be there for her however she needed him. “Well I could be really funny and say I wasn’t trying to be with just anybody.” He smiled, “but if we’re being truthful, I haven’t wanted anybody else.”

-

Astrid nodded and looked over to him. “You are going to be amazing.” She said softly and looked up to look in his eyes. “Me either.” She said and pressed her lips to his. She let them sit there for a few moments before the conversation she had with Gyda came back to her mind and she knew she had to tell Declan. “I um...I should probably tell you how I got all these scars you’ve seen...because you deserve to know but also because there is a chance that there could be someone who is going to be very angry and know exactly where I am...”

~

Viggo nodded not shocked one bit by that statement. “Smart move,” he smiled, “she would have probably given you both a home.” He knew his sister was a sweet heart deep down and he had witnessed it several times himself but it was the brotherly thing to do to razz her. “You’re family, Strid. You’re supposed to say that.”

-

Astrid nodded. “Oh definitely. She’s just that kind of person.” She said and shook her head. “Nah, I’d say the same thing even if we weren’t family.” She said and shrugged her shoulders. “You are a great person and I wanna hear you say it.”

~

Gyda shook her head, “I don’t really care if we have to have the whole Georgia State Trooper Force follow you around. He’s not going to do shit anymore. No one around you would allow it. Least of all me.” She sighed and nodded, “we should figure something out a plan for you to keep moving forward.” Gyda smiled and shook her head, “it’s not going to back fire. You’re enough evidence to win your case alone.”

-

Astrid sighed and let a free hand fall to rest against her bump. “I just don’t know what will actually get him to stop. I swear I saw him the other day but it wasn’t and I don’t want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder or for anyone else to be hurt because of me. If he hurts anybody..that’s on my hands.” She said and rested her head on her shoulder. “If you say so...”

~

Declan smiled, “I hope so. I never really planned to have kids.” He gulped, “it’s a little scary but I do have an pretty amazing mom that’s gonna be by my side to guide me.” He winked referencing her before nodding, “we’ll figure it out. We’ll figure us out.” Declan smiled and shrugged gently so he didn’t disturb her, “you’d still be kicking ass as a single mom, you didn’t do anything different to deserve me. You were just you. From the very start.”

-

Astrid watched Declan for a moment and nodded. “Yeah, I was scared when Stella came along as well and honestly, I’m scared about having two at once plus Stella.” She said and leaned more against him, finding comfort in the rise and fall of his chest and shoulders from his breathing. “We will figure it out.” She repeated and laughed. “I don’t think that’s true. I think I was barely surviving as a single mother and I must have done something good. you’re an amazing guy who could have anybody you wanted and you still somehow chose me.”

~

Viggo nodded, “I’m shocked Gyda hasn’t tried to move you in so you don’t have to do it alone. You know she has a savior complex sometimes.” He chuckled knowing his sister just liked to help people. His brows raised and he smiled, “good, good, I’m sure Gyda would spread more about me than anyone.” Viggo nodded knowing he definitely wanted his dad to be around because he wasn’t really sure all of his siblings could handle it. “You will soon enough. You’ll wind up joining her and Gyda’s little posse.” He laughed and shook his head, “I wouldn’t go that far after everything but, after leaving my ex and Jilly things did start looking up for me.”

-

Astrid raised her eyebrows with a laugh. “I think she might have tried to get me to move in if I didn’t already move in with Declan.” She said shrugged. “She can’t help it and she does it out of love really.” She said shook her head. “You are a good guy Viggo and anyone who tells you different is wrong, even if that someone is yourself.”

~

Gyda nodded and smiled but her brows gently pulled together, “floor’s open.” She smiled but her face fell at the sight of the scar and she sighed, placing a comforting hand on Astrid’s shaking one. It always took a lot for Gyda to not jump up and do something. Even if it would get her unnecessary trouble, being a mom had slowed her down some but not enough that she wouldn’t react. She listened though before reacting, holding onto Astrid’s hand to keep her comforted.

“I dare him to show his fucking face here.” She smiled and shook her head, “I won’t let anything happen to you or Stella and I should have been there for you then too.” She nodded, sighing and shaking her head, “have you told anyone else? Gone forward about this? You have the support system here now, you could do whatever you think should be done. He shouldn’t get away with what he has done to you.”

-

Astrid felt Gyda’s hand on hers and he nerves calmed immediately, a talent that Gyda always seemed to have for Astrid’s nerves. “I know you won’t and I know Viggo and Declan wouldn’t either. I know I’m safe but you know the way that Erik got about things he wanted. I’m just scared that he won’t stop until he gets what he wants, like he always does.” She sighed softly and shook her head. “No, just you. I mean Declan’s seen the scars and stuff but I’ve never told him what they are from.” She leaned back against the couch. “What if I try to go after him and it backfires. I can’t let anyone else get hurt because of me.”

——–

The Swedish accent was unexpected, given that everyone he’s met in this town seemed to have been born there but, the accent fit her well, he mused. Nodding, Logan began to look around for the missing drawing and found it stuck under the leg of the table. “Sneaky.” He muttered to himself and snatched it carefully, placing the undamaged piece on the table. Logan took a moment to survey the various pages as the woman sorted through them. “What kind of commission is this?” He asked curiously, though he could infer it was a probably a children’s book of sorts from the drawings. “Children’s book?” He asked, lifting his gaze back to the woman.

-

Astrid smiled gratefully, not knowing if she would have it in her to redo all of those drawings that she had already finished. “Yup! These are for one someone else has written but I wrote my own as well.” She said as she carefully got all the drawings put away into a folder and safely tucked it away so they wouldn’t go everywhere again. “This one’s cute though, I recommend it once it’s out to the public. I’m Astrid by the way.”

————————-

“Twins?” Dani asked, eyes widened because she knew how much it was to be pregnant with one and she couldn’t imagine two. “I totally get it. When I was….” She stoped herself then, it was always difficult to talk about her pregnancy and how Jason had taken that away from her too. “I had to buy new clothes too; I can’t imagine with twins.” Smiling, Dani turned back to look in the mirror before looking back at the woman. “What do you think of this outfit? It’s for a date - picnic.” It was a cute summery dress, the color complementing her skin tone but she still was working on having self-confidence again.

-

Astrid nodded and let a hand rest on her stomach. “Yup, twins. They were not planned but very welcomed. This time their father is better then my first’s.” She said honestly before looking towards Dani. “It’s not fair. I mean we grow the babies, go through all of that and have to pay for a whole new wardrobe.” She said with a laugh and looked at her outfit. “I think it’s prefect!” She said and looked over the dress. “Whoever this guy is, he is very lucky.”

~

Declan chuckled, “well then I just might take naps with you.” He said with a smile but nodded at her, it was definitely a lot to take in. “Yeah, it is and we do. Just a lot of steps forward. I want us to be okay though because honestly if we’re not okay… the kids will know. I don’t want any of them going through that.” Declan shrugged and smiled, “well I know you’re gonna need help with all three of them and I figured the best way for me to help is for us to move in together.” He smiled, “You give me a lot of happiness too but I really want you and the kids to be okay. So that’s what matters most right now.” 

Astrid giggled. “It’s a deal.” She said and looked over, reaching out to take his hand. “We are going to be great.” She said and rubbed circles in the back of his hand. “They won’t. I promise.” She leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder. “You are amazing, Declan. I honestly don’t know what I would be doing without you.” She said and played with the hem of her shirt. “I don’t deserve you...I don’t know what I did to deserve you at all.” She let out a sigh, thinking back to her conversation with Gyda, knowing that she was going to have to tell Declan eventually.

~

Viggo shook his head, “nah, they definitely want parents to suffer. You definitely need to call me next time or something and I’ll just come to you.” He laughed and nodded, “well if we didn’t love I think she might punch us.” His brows raised at the mention of gossip and he nodded, “I’m curious to know the gossip you’ve heard now. I hope not too many bad things about me.” He brought her a glass of water and chuckled as he sat down on the couch, “Dad definitely does, mom had to rein him in some though on it. We want him here for a while, I mean he has all these grandkids he’s gotta be around for.” He nodded at the mention of Clarissa and smiled, “yeah that’s her. Things are going well, and I’m sure Jilly would love her own little siblings but for now… we’re just kind of taking it as it comes with us. Whether it’s slow or whatever.” 

Astrid nodded. “I will do that because I’m not sure how much longer I can actually lift her. She’s getting so big so fast.” She said and laughed. “I think I’ve heard it all. There’s not much that doesn’t go around. But I promise, nothing bad about you.” She said and took the glass, taking a drink from it. “He’s going to be around for years, I just know it.” She said and smiled softly as she listened to him talking about Clarissa. “I’m so happy for you. I look forward to meeting her sometime.” She said as she took another drink. “Any person that you like must be an amazing person.”

~

Gyda smiled and shrugged, “what can I say. I can spot scum a mile away.” She chuckled. Her brows pulled together and she nodded at the thought, “I was always sleeping with Itani. I couldn’t help it and I hated it for T. We had the same thing with all of ours. It’s not as hard as you would think though. I mean they are all pretty close together. We had just brought Hana home and we found out about the twins.” 

Gyda smiled but her brows raised, “you got Declan now though.” She shrugged, “honestly, if it wasn’t for T I wouldn’t have made it at all. He made it so much easier on me.” Her brows raised and she listened to her cousin. She was worried about it all. She was worried now about what all Astrid hadn’t told her. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to think about again, Astrid. You know that.” She smiled but when she heard the extra it made her blood boil. It made her want to go find that dirt bag and nail his ass square in the jaw. “Astrid, I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve any of it and I’m happy you’re out and here now.” 

Astrid nodded her head slowly. “Ive been trying to get some sleep while Stella sleeps and Declan has been nothing short of amazing, even with Stella.” She said and looked over towards Gyda. She had opened up about a little of what had been going on and she stopped for a moment, hesitating about fully opening up because she had spent so many years trying to hide it and building a wall. She looked around for a moment, trying to make sure there were no kids around who could understand the words coming from her mouth. “I think I need to talk about it, if I want to move on from Erik.” She said and took a deep breath, sitting up from the couch a moment and pulling the shoulder of her shirt down, revealing a long scar that ran down her back. Her hands shook slightly at the cold air hitting the part of her that she had been hiding for so long.

“I...this was the first one, I mean...there’s not many, honestly. But uh...this one is the worst...” Astrid said and looked over to Gyda, letting her shirt go back to it’s position as she sat back normally. She looked down at her hands and sighed softly. “Erik liked his alcohol but he couldn’t handle it well. He was short tempered and everything seemed to set him off.” She moved a piece of hair behind her ear, feeling tears threatening to fall. “I felt like everything I did was wrong. I uh....when I found out I was pregnant with Stella, I was so scared to tell him that when I finally did, I thought that he was going to...I thought that was it..that he was going to kill me.” She said softly. “That’s when I left..I came here and I’ve been nervous ever since that he is going to find me...finish what he started.”

The weather in his sister’s town was crazy, in Logan’s opinion. In Afghanistan, there was really guessing to be made and he had gotten used to the fiery days and frosty nights. Logan rushed into the little cafe, immediately feeling bad when the gust of wind he let in set someone’s papers roaring through the small establishment. He managed to catch the scattered papers and it was easy enough to spot the owner. “I’m sorry about that, miss.” Logan approached the obviously pregnant woman, handing the drawing back to her. “I think I got almost all of them. I can help you find the rest of them if you tell me what’s missing.” It was then that he actually took a second to analyze the papers and was intrigued by the talent of them. “These are amazing.”

Astrid was looking through what little she had managed to save when she heard someone next to her and she turned her head up towards him and offered a smile. “Thank you so much!” She said, Swedish accent still as thick as when she got there, unsure if it would ever go away, not that she wanted it to. It reminded her of home when she was so far from it. “I think I’m only missing one, a little girl at the park on the swings.” She said as she looked through all the ones she currently had sitting in front of her. She smiled softly. “Thank you. I’m glad you like them, my client should like them as well then.”

A date. Danielle was a married woman and yet, she had never been as nervous as she was now. It was silly, really. She spent every day with Luke but somehow the prospect of having a picnic with him was causing her to panic. And causing her to spend money on a new outfit. Silly. She had been standing in front of the mirror for a bit now, battling with her personal like to the outfit and Jason’s mocking voice in her head when she suddenly was spoken to. Turning to face the other woman, Dani smiled and took in the outfit. “I think it looks super cute on you. Is it for a special occasion?”

Astrid looked at the small mirror that was hanging in the dressing room but with her growing bump, she couldn’t really see the full outfit. She had gone out and asked the girl who was also standing out there. “Thanks! Not really, but I’ve already outgrown all my cloths with these babies and I need to get bigger sizes.” She said as she put a hand over her growing bump. “When you’ve got two in there, they tend to grow much faster.” She said with a laugh before looking down at little Stella in her carrier.